Notes & Combos

Small disclaimer since the climb from D1-M5: I really like running Appointer + Gryphon with Don (hereby calling it A+G) for the hand rip, but I have since leaned towards playing this build more since playing around Bystials normally demands Resorting (hehe) to unorthodox combos or simply sacrificing MP to a Bystial and relying on accessing the second MP through Helix. As a result, I've found that committing to an A+G line means you don't have the usual card advantage to make the whole board, and that you always have to climb to Curious unless you open Appointer.

That being said, I prefer this list a lot more because like the old Braver + Smoke builds, you have a lot of follow-up and Grind in the GY with spare Rescues and Arc Light always guaranteeing you IoC. There will be times you will have to decide if you want to end on Dragster or AFD + Village in case Destrudo/Destrudo access is compromised. With Branded, Floo, and Spright running amok, AFD + Village lock is almost always better than Dragster if you have to choose one.

Anyway, this build build cuts Braver + Smoke Grenade post June bans and replaces it with Dawn Dragster to maintain a highly contained Auroradon combo. In lines where Barricadeborg + Quik-Fix is your only play, this line can push out a spell/trap negate and a floodgate omni with little to no effort. Additionally, adding Dragster to the Appointer + Gryphon build I got to d5 with is also possible, but it will come at the cost of cutting out going 2nd toolbox cards like Knightmares or Accesscode, which is not recommended.

Dragster is also easy to synchro summon in a pinch with Destrudo and any other monster under lvl 6, which is great when playing into Maxx C going 2nd, or to set up against dangerous back row cards like Called by the Grave when Super Agent or Phoenix are not available to bait out back row. It's also an additional monster that can be synchro summoned if you've made AFD early in the combo and need another synchro payoff for Auroradon. If you would like a lvl 9 instead of a lvl 7 (since it is easier to fix on o-lion/jet mills), you can replace it with one of them instead.

Expected endboard is Secret Village + Master Plan (spell lock), Herald of the Arc Light (floodgate/omni negate), Apollousa (monster negates), Dawn Dragster as an extra measure against Evenly or decks that open with spellcasters, and Sleeper (QE pop 2).